Haz (kapitankraut) wrote in linguaphiles,
Haz
kapitankraut
linguaphiles

Name mispronunciations

My partner is Estonian, so every now and again her compatriots turn up on TV doing various things. Routinely, the (Australian) news reporters make a total hash of the Estonian names.
The most recent one is the tennis player Kaia Kanepi, whose name sounds like "Kye-a Canopy" ("Kye" rhymes with "rye" or "fly") in Estonian, but who became "Key-er K'NEE-pi" ("Key" as in the thing you put in a door). In years gone by, the coverage of the Tour de France would mention Jaan Kirsipuu, with his surname sounding suspiciously like "Curs-ee-poo".

What names from other non-English countries sound either amusing or groanworthy to speakers of the relevant language when they're mispronounced? I'm sure there are several politicians and others from around the world I've always had wrong, for example
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  • A very strange Etruscan inscription

    Chiusi is a small town in Italy (province of Siena, Tuscany). And once it was one of the most powerful centers of the Etruscan League of 12 cities.…

  • RAINBOW IN A PUDDLE

    Rainbow spots appear on wet pavement after rain. This thin layer of gasoline, being unable to dissolve in water, "plays" in the sunlight with our…

  • Learning basic Latin while reading Horace

    Salvete! A bit of shameless self-promotion by academic precariat, hope it's fine with you guys. We invite you to our Slow Horace Mondays. Supposedly,…